Bealtaine celebrations take place on the Hill of Uisneach in Co Westmeath

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

Hundreds of people from around the world have gathered for a Celtic fire festival celebrating the beginning of summer in Co Westmeath.

Two days of events are being held at the Hill of Uisneach, which is dubbed the sacred centre of Ireland.

Saturday night saw The Bealtaine Fire Festival continue a ritual that dates back over a millennium to the time of the High Kings of Ireland.

A procession of light and fire wound through the ancient ceremonial site before an enormous bonfire was lit to welcome the summer.

Live craft demonstrations, storytelling events, and traditional Irish games are taking place across the weekend alongside mindfulness and yoga sessions.

Festival-goers dressed as Celts and wearing leaf head-dresses also took part in events.

Jerry Jago from Dublin, who was dressed as the sea god Manannan mac Lir, said, “look around, families are here, there’s people dressed up, they really get into it, and they mean what they are doing.

“You walk around here, you won’t see a blade of grass out of place, you won’t see a bit of litter, and that’s just the people who come here.”

Fellow Dubliner Vinnie Woods, who has been attending the event for 25 years, said: “It’s like the revival of the Irish language, people are becoming more conscious of our heritage.

“They may not be able to fully understand it, but they want to do something to participate, to say ‘we’re Irish, and this is part of our heritage’.”

The late broadcaster and writer Manchan Magan, known for his love of the Irish language, traditions and landscape, was remembered with a mural.

His ashes were scattered on the hill, which is steeped in Irish mythology, following his death last year.